Experimenting with a left-back role, Kai Havertz scored the opening goal before conceding a handball that led to Germany’s 2-3 defeat in a friendly against Turkey.
*Goals: Havertz 5′, Fullkrug 49′ – Kadioglu 38′, Yildiz 45’+2, Yusuf Sarı pen 71′
“Havertz doesn’t always play in this position,” explained coach Julian Nagelsmann before the match at the Olympiastadion Berlin on November 18. “I have a great idea, and Havertz is an excellent player. This is an excellent choice. Havertz won’t play as a classic left-back.”
Havertz joined Jonathan Tah, Antonio Rudiger, and Benjamin Henrichs in his new role to form a four-man defense in front of goalkeeper Kevin Trapp. The midfield saw a combination of Joshua Kimmich and Ilkay Gundogan. Upfront, Leroy Sane and Florian Wirtz played behind the striking duo of Julian Brandt and Niclas Fullkrug.
Havertz played the full 90 minutes, touched the ball 64 times, delivered two crosses, made five clearances, blocked two shots, won one tackle, lost possession 17 times, and opened the scoring in the 5th minute. Leroy Sane sprinted down the right flank from Benjamin Henrichs’ wing pass. He crossed for Havertz to finish with his right foot, beating the goalkeeper from Manchester United’s academy, Altay Bayindir.
The Arsenal winger didn’t leave much of an impact for the rest of the match. He even handled the ball from Yusuf Sari’s cross in the 68th minute. VAR was implemented, although this was just a friendly. After reviewing the footage on the sideline, referee Bartosz Frankowski awarded Turkey a penalty. From the penalty spot, Yusuf Sari shot low to the right corner. Trapp guessed the direction correctly, even touching the ball, but couldn’t prevent the goal.
Earlier, Turkey had scored two consecutive goals to turn the tide against Germany in the first half. In the 38th minute, from a long pass by center-back Abdulkerim Bardakci, Ferdi Kadioglu controlled neatly, entered the penalty area, and shot into the near corner. In injury time, Turkey again found the net against Germany in a similar scenario. Kaan Ayhan poured the ball into the penalty area to Kenan Yildiz’s position. Number 19 adjusted and unleashed a powerful shot to the far corner, sending the ball into the net off the crossbar.
Germany’s remaining goal in this match came in the early second half when Fullkrug shifted to the right and shot into the near corner to equalize 2-2.
The 2-3 result marked Germany’s first defeat under Nagelsmann. The 2014 World Cup champions have shown signs of instability in the new era, having defeated the United States 3-1, drawn 2-2 with Mexico, and now lost to Turkey. Germany is still demonstrating inconsistency as they approach Euro 2024 on home soil.
Standing over 1.9 meters tall, left-footed, and possessing good individual technique, although not outstanding in speed, Havertz matured at Bayer Leverkusen before joining Chelsea in September 2020. He scored 32 goals in 139 matches with the London club, mainly playing as a central striker in his final season. In the summer of 2023, the 24-year-old forward joined Arsenal for $78 million, plus $4 million in add-ons. Despite being given opportunities, he has yet to meet expectations.
Starting lineup:
Germany: Trapp; Tah, Rudiger, Henrichs, Havertz, Kimmich (Goretzka 71), Gundogan, Wirtz (Gnabry 71), Sane, Brandt (Ducksch 81), Fullkrug.
Turkey: Bayindir; Celik, Kabak, Bardakci, Kadioglu (Elmali 63), Ayhan, Yuksek (Ozcan 46), Akbaba (Omur 34), Yildiz (Akturkoglu 72), Kahveci (Sari 63), Yazici (Yilmaz 63).
